The Lion's Roar
by SuspianFeels
Summary: PREQUEL TO THEIR LAST HOPE. Anya is the forsaken daughter of Aslan yet nobody seems to know the true story of how she became to be the warrior princess Caspian and the Kings and Queens old knew her as; until now.


**Name:** The Lion's Roar

 **Summary:** PREQUEL TO THEIR LAST HOPE. Anya is the forsaken daughter of Aslan yet nobody seems to know the true story of how she became to be the warrior princess Caspian and the Kings and Queens old knew her as; until now. Tells the story of the forgotten years of how Anya found her home in Archenland and how she earned her people's love, surviving against unspeakable odds and eventually triumphing over all who ever doubted her.

 **Pairing:** None

 **Rating:** M – for violence, extreme blood/gore, dark themes, sexual themes and bad language. Viewer discretion is advised.

 **Genre:** Adventure/Hurt/Comfort

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing used, except for the idea for this story, Anya and my other OCs. This story is purely for entertainment purposes only.

 **Author's note:** Wow, the support and feedback I got on Their Last Hope has been nothing short of incredible and I just wanted to say how grateful I am to everyone who left a review and whatnot. So as a thank you, I decided to write a prequel to Their Last Hope – although you don't need to read that to read this one.

Now there will be a lot more blood and gore so I've placed this at an M rating for that. I'm bringing it up a notch and I thought it would be easier to tell the story in the correct way rather than make it nice and pretty because it's not – if that makes sense. This will be like Last First Love in the sense of gore and violence.

Bonus; there's more of Anya and various other characters speaking Aadmari/Trigedasleng and because of that, I've put the translations in bold beside them so those of you who haven't seen The 100 know what they're saying.

But without babbling on too long, on with the story.

* * *

Morning fell across the land of Narnia as the golden sun warmed the woods and fields. The sun shone down on Anya's face, waking her up within moments. She opened her bright blue eyes and slowly stood up from her resting place on the forest floor, her hair acting as her pillow due to how long it was. It fell down to her ankles, being far too long for her to really do anything with. It was nice to have back in Aslan's Country but now that she was in Narnia, it did nothing but get in the way of her walking around by getting caught in tree branches or have the wind blow it into her face to stop her from seeing clearly.

Anya's once clean dark green dress was ripped and coated in dirt, and she knew that she needed to change but she didn't know where she would be able to get new clothes. Along with her impractical clothes and hair, Anya was starting to get blisters all over her feet from walking around Narnia for so long.

She had no idea where she was and she hadn't encountered anyone since her arrival several weeks before hand. She knew that if she didn't see anyone soon, she would probably die from starvation or go insane from isolation. She was walking – which was more staggering like a drunken man would do on his way home from the pub – through the quiet forest, holding onto the tree trunks to keep her up.

After around an hour of walking, Anya collapsed to her knees and eventually her whole body collapsed to the ground, finally giving in to both starvation and how weak and tired she truly was. Her eyes closed and she finally embraced her probable and inevitable death.

 **~#~**

She awoke several hours later, just as the sun was starting to set on the horizon. The warmth of a small fire hit her face, and then the distinct smell of wood smoke filled her senses. She slowly sat up, just as a small bowl of broth and a slice of bread was placed in her lap with a tin filled with water was placed beside her legs.

"You need to eat and drink, you'll feel better." A voice told her, a dark figure sitting beside her. They had a dark leather cloak on and a hood up so Anya couldn't see their face but she could tell that they were tall and had travelled for miles due to how dirty their cloak was.

After a few moments, they took their hood off and finally revealed a man who couldn't be a few years older than Anya. His dark hair and dark eyes made Anya's heart skip a beat inside her chest; she blushed and quickly went to her food, devouring it within seconds. After finishing, she moved closer to him and finally spoke. "Who are you?" her voice was dry and hoarse, she hadn't spoken for days and hearing her real voice was somewhat of a surprise. The only times she had heard her voice, was her inside voice which didn't sound like her actual voice at all.

"My name is Shylton. I was sent here to find the fallen star." Shylton took away the now empty bowl and placed it into his leather satchel before turning his attention back to Anya, his eyes fixing upon her face.

Anya moved away from Shylton a little, keeping the tin can filled with water in her hands. "Well, there's no fallen star here, Shylton. So it seems you must keep searching."

"But you are different – you are not from the ground."

"How can you tell?" Anya almost dropped her can as soon as she heard Shylton tell her that she wasn't from the ground; it wasn't obvious to her at least. She didn't have a sign that said "hey, I'm from Aslan's Country, come and get it".

"Your eyes, they tell me more than your mouth ever will. I can tell you are from the skies."

"Is that a bad thing? To come from the skies, I mean."

"Not necessarily. It just means you are not experienced enough to survive here without someone guarding or guiding you. It's a miracle you're still alive after all this time I have been searching for the star. If I hadn't found you when I did, you would've been dead by tomorrow."

Anya was quiet for a while, just taking in what Shylton had told her and the state she was in before he found her. She would've died if he hadn't found her and given her food. "Thank you, Shylton. You saved my life."

"You are welcome, sky girl. Do you have a name?"

"Anya, my name is Anya."

"Well, the one they call Anya, welcome to Narnia."

 **~#~**

It was just before sunrise when Anya felt someone shaking her and bringing her back into reality from her dreaming state, but her eyes were still closed as she tried to bring herself back into the dream world she left. When she didn't fully wake up, a small tin of cold water was poured over her head, igniting a slight scream from her as she sat up in a heartbeat. Her eyes flashed open, wiping away some of the water as she glared at the culprit. "Did you have to do that?"

Shylton laughed, placing the new empty tin back into his satchel before stating to walk into the distance. "Yes I did, now get up. We've got a lot of ground to cover before nightfall."

Anya rolled her eyes, standing up before ringing out her clothes and hair, watching the water drip onto her hands and the ground beneath her feet. "Do I always get that _lovely_ wakeup call?" She raised an eyebrow as she quickly followed after Shylton.

Shylton chuckled, slowing down his pace so Anya could catch up to him. "Only if you don't get up when I ask you to; lesson number one, always do what I tell you to first time."

Anya's eyes narrowed once she caught up with Shylton, before speaking. "Have we just turned this trek to Archenland into a fucking how-to book?"

"Lesson number two; no questioning of what I teach you."

The pair continued squabbling for hours and miles onwards, Anya never letting up her fight against Shylton's rules and instead finding more and more ways to get on his nerves by asking him extremely inappropriate questions, receiving a slight shove at one of them. And Anya – being Anya – decided to shove him back; which ended up with both of them rolling down a hill and into a puddle of mud.

The pair looked at each other; their eyes narrowing as they stood back up and walked out of the mud, wiping some of it off their faces and hands. "I blame you for this, Anya." Shylton muttered under his breath, picking some dried mud off his arm.

"You started it! You told me to follow you and I was following your example. Can't blame me for learning, mister." Anya protested, her teeth clenching together after speaking.

"Yes I can, and I am. Deal with it, _child_."

"Don't you 'child' me! I'm twelve, I'm not a toddler."

"I will 'child' you, Anya. Now shut up and keep walking."

The pair walked in silence for some hours, Anya focused on the ground and their feet as Shylton focused on which way they needed to go. "Why do you even want me? I mean, fallen stars aren't exactly useful for anything. Even me, since I'm not really a fallen star, but still." She finally asked; her gaze moving up to the back of Shylton's head.

"My commander demanded you; he said you'd be of great importance to him." Shylton replied, simply. His shoulders shrugging as he looked back at Anya for a moment before focusing back on the path before him once more.

"Did he say why?" Anya frowned, jumping around a few puddles and dodging some fallen branches as she walked.

"No, but you can guess he wants you for his own personal pleasure."

"Can't you tell him that I don't approve of this and then he'd let me go?"

"Nobody says no to Selwyn."

"Well, there's always a first."

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"

"I'm glad you noticed."

The pair continued to walk in silence after that, both feeling satisfied with that they've said. By the time both stopped for dinner and rest, they'd covered a lot of ground but they still had a long way to go. As they ate, Shylton couldn't help but notice how long Anya's hair was and how much it was obviously annoying her while she was walking. After they finished eating, Shylton went through his satchel and brought out a pair of large and slightly rusted scissors, gently pushing Anya's shoulders down to kneel in front of him. He slowly started to cut Anya's long hair chunk by chunk until her hair that previously reached her ankles, now reached just below her shoulders which made walking around a lot easier for both her and Shylton. He also did the same to Anya's dress, cutting it just above her knees just to stop her complaining of her dress getting caught in branches and tripping her up while they walked.

 **~#~**

Several days later, the pair finally arrived at Archenland's borders and were ready to finally say goodbye to Narnia. Both of them were mentally and physically exhausted from their almost two week long trek and ready to get back to civilization with fresh meals and a comfortable place to sleep instead of the hard ground, covered in stones.

Both of them arrived at the tall wooden gates that separated them from the village of Adrigonia – where Shylton was due to bring Anya to. One of the guards quickly noticed them, his bow and arrow aiming at the pair of them. "Chon yu bilaik?" **(Who are you?)** He demanded.

Anya took a step forward, showing little to no fear. "Ai laik Onya kom Skai en ai gaf gouthru klir." **(I am Anya of the skies and I seek safe passage.)**

The guard inspected both of them once more before nodding his head and the large gates opened, allowing both Anya and Shylton inside the village. As they walked through the village, people started walking out of their tents, egger to see the new arrivals. Anya gave Shylton a slight glace and held onto his hand tightly as they walked through the now crowds of people that surrounded them.

Anya and Shylton were quickly escorted into a huge stone castle, the heavy doors closed behind them to keep out everyone else. A servant grabbed Anya's hand, pushing Shylton aside before dragging Anya away from the main lobby before she had a chance to protest or even call back to Shylton for help.

She was then pushed into a large hall with the doors closing behind her, her fingers laced together as she slowly walked towards the two thrones that sat proudly at the opposite end of the hall. On one was sat a man who was obviously older than Anya with a large golden sword beside him – whom she guessed was the commander, while the other throne was empty. Which puzzled her slightly but she decided to not question it.

She stopped a few meters away from the thrones, giving the commander a low curtsy out of respect as she was taught to do back home. Once she rose, her eyes locked with the commander's. She was nervous, yes, but she wasn't about to let him know that anytime soon. "I believe you sent for me, commander."

"Ah, yes. You're the fallen star I requested. Somehow, I imagined you to be a lot prettier. But never mind that now; you'll be a fine woman to sit beside me on your own throne and be my wife." The commander answered, simply, his gaze moving between Anya's face and body to the gold ring that sat on his finger.

"Do you know who I am?" Anya shouted; her eyes narrowing as she glared at the commander. The only word to describe how Anya was feeling was disgust; disgusted at the fact that the commander only wanted her as a slave for his own personal pleasures. It was a waste of an almost two week journey to go to Archenland for this.

"Do you know who _I_ am?" The commander smirked in his chair, enjoying the look of anger on Anya.

"No, this is not a game of 'who the fuck are you?' I am Anya; daughter of Aslan, princess of the skies and I will not bow down to you."

"Anya of the skies, this isn't a choice. You _will_ bow down to me."

Anya narrowed her eyes, folding her arms over her chest as she took a step towards the commander. "Make me, Selwyn of the ground."

The room fell silent after Anya spoke those words, the commander taken aback for a moment before coming back to his senses and clapping his hands once, the sound of his skin against skin echoing throughout the room before a servant opened the door to answer his request. "Take Princess Anya to a guest chamber, make sure she has a bath and clean clothes. Prepare her for tonight's feast."

The servant bowed, taking Anya's arm and leading her out of the hall and towards a flight of stairs and up towards one of the guests' chambers. She was told that a bath would be run for her and she was welcome to use the room as she wished, since it would be hers until she married the commander.

Once her bath was run, Anya was left alone to bathe. She slowly removed her mud and sweat drenched clothes, letting them pool on the floor before she climbed into the hot bath, instantly feeling the warmth go all the way through her body.

Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath before she submerged herself under the water, the mud instantly washing itself off her hair and drifted around her shoulders and her face. She stayed submerged for a few moments before she came back up for air, wiping the water away from her face.

She didn't come out of the bath until her skin started pruning up, wrapping her body in a towel before sitting down on a chair in front of the roaring fire before her for warmth. Soon enough, she heard a knock on the door followed by a young woman entering, her blonde hair tied into multiple different braids in her hair, something Anya deeply envied almost immediately. "My name is Fysher, Commander Selwyn sent me here to give you new clothes since he thought your clothes might be impractical for living here."

A small smile came onto Anya's lips as she took the pile of clothes from Fysher, giving her a slight nod. "Once I have changed, could you teach me how to do hair like yours?"

Fysher mirrored Anya's smile, nodding her head. "Of course."

 **~#~**

By the time the feast came around, Anya was ready to leave and go to bed but she still had to wait until Selwyn allowed her to leave. She had to force herself to keep her eyes open, even when that seemed like an impossible task as every time she blinked; it felt like she was slowly slipping into a deep sleep. She had to pinch herself to stay awake as she watched everyone around her get drunk and kiss the nearest person, something that never happened back in Aslan's Country. She'd been to many feasts with welcoming atmospheres, but this had the atmosphere of a brothel than a welcoming atmosphere.

Just as Anya was about to throw her goblet of untouched wine away and finally go to bed, she felt a hand hold her arm followed by slight pulling and eventually lead to Anya's back colliding with someone's chest. "Where do you think you're going, _Anya_?" The familiar voice of Selwyn made Anya's skin crawl and a chill go down her spine.

"Bed," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I'm tired from walking, I think you can understand." She forced her arm out of his grip, her arms wrapping around herself.

Selwyn moved in front of Anya, his hands placed on her arms. "Sweetheart, I have a private home built just for us. It'll be much quieter than sleeping in the quarters here, I assure you."

As much as Anya hated Selwyn's pet name for her, she couldn't help but be somewhat thankful that he had a private home where she could rest in peace without any interruption. She slowly nodded, allowing Selwyn to place an arm around her waist and lead her out of the feast.

The pair walked into the dark night, the moon and a lantern held by Selwyn to guide their way. As they walked together, they talked to each other about many things; Selwyn was curious of the fallen star and how she came to be a fallen star while Anya was curious about the commander of a land so far away from what she called home.

The house was dark when they arrived, Selwyn only lighting the way up to the bedroom, not that Anya minded of course. She kicked off her shoes as she looked at the large king sized bed in the middle of the room. She placed a few fingers along the sheets, a small smile coming onto her lips as she took a few steps forward to rest. She turned around to Selwyn, the smile still on her lips. "Thank you, I'm sure you'd want to go back to the feast."

Selwyn didn't answer, instead forced himself upon Anya, pushing her down onto the bed before ripping her clothes off her body. Taking her innocence away within a single heartbeat, leaving Anya to scream out in pain as she gave up trying to fight him off her.

 **~#~**

The next morning, Anya was awake as the sun was rising on the horizon, Selwyn still asleep by her side. She slid out of the bed, quietly placing her clothes on before she ran downstairs and into the kitchen, bringing out several full and large jars of alcohol. Grabbing one, she walked through the house, letting the alcohol drop onto the floor. Once one was empty, she grabbed another and walked upstairs, making sure she was quiet around Selwyn's sleeping form. She noticed the blood stain on the bed, making her sick to her stomach but she forced it back in order to continue her plan.

Once she was finished and stood at the front door, she lit a match and let it fall to the floor, igniting the house into flames before she walked out of the door and left the house to burn. A small smile came onto her lips as she soon heard the desperate cries of Selwyn from inside, not once turning around to see what damage she had caused.

Almost as soon as she returned back to the village, people noticed the house burning. By the time people got to the scene, it was too late and there was nothing they could do to save their commander. Anya knew that she would probably be killed for what she did but she wasn't afraid, in fact, she rather embraced the probability of her death. At least then she wouldn't have to live with the idea of a pregnancy and a bastard child, something she was completely against.

Anya stopped walking, her eyes staring in front of her. A single tear fell down from her eye before she let out a loud scream, falling to her knees as she forced her eyes to close tightly. People heard her scream but did nothing to help her, their commander was dead and they thought she was mourning over the loss.

That was when the guards grabbed Anya in their tight grip, even with Anya kicking and screaming with all she had, they refused to let her go. She had killed their commander, after all. Which would count for treason and treason never went unpunished. She continued to fight against their grip as she was dragged through the village; many people shouted rude things at her and spat on her as she was dragged past them. The word "ripa" – which meant murderer in Aadmari – was tossed around between the guards and the people in the village, chanting it around Anya.

Shylton came out of his home, wondering what was going on but quickly ran up to the guards and Anya. "What did she do? She's with me, she's not a criminal."

"She murdered the commander, Shylton. That's treason and that makes her a criminal." One of the guards told him, keeping a tight grip on Anya's arms.

Shylton was taken aback by what the guard told him before he turned his attention to Anya. "Anya, please tell me this isn't true."

Tears ran down Anya's cheeks, her voice growing hoarse with her screaming. "He raped me, Shylton! I didn't want him to live with what he'd done."

"You killed him!"

"Did you fucking just hear me? HE RAPED ME. And you did nothing to help me. I had to do it." Anya screamed at him, her arms and legs growing tired of the constant struggling against the guards.

Anya was pushed into a metal cell and the door locked behind her, she was told that she was to be put on trial and if found guilty, she would be executed in front of the whole village as punishment for killing their commander.

Long story short, Anya was found guilty and was due to be executed by hanging the next morning, but was stopped by Shylton. He somehow convinced the council to allow her to live but she must complete a ritual to show that she was a woman, only then she would be safe to live with the people in peace.

She stood beside Shylton and a woman with long black hair called Pygott, who was talking to the whole village about what Anya had done. "This outsider has murdered our commander, but at Shylton's request, we will not kill her. Instead, she will have to complete the adulthood rituals. If she fails any part of it, she will be banished from our home and not allowed to return. If she succeeds in all parts, she is welcome to stay as one of our own."

"What does the ritual include?" Anya asked, her hands laced together and hidden behind her.

"Well, there are different parts to it. First, comes the taking of innocence, you cannot be seen as a woman until the deed is done – although you have already completed this challenge. Then comes the proof, you have to prove to the village that you are a strong woman and are capable of anything if she puts her mind to, you will have to eat the heart of an animal and if you throw it up, you fail. The heart is raw but that's the least of your worries, in my opinion. Then comes the bounding ceremony, where you will be bound to one member of the village for life, which will not be broken until one of you dies. Then comes the cleansing, all your wounds and scars from the previous rituals will be cured so you will be able to start a new life as a woman. And finally comes the presentation, you will be dressed in traditional Archenlandian ceremonial clothes and make-up and presented to the village as a woman and if the elders approve, only then will the ritual will be complete."

Anya nodded, following closely behind Pygott as she walked into a tent. As much as she wanted Shylton, Anya knew that it wasn't a possibility. They needed to prepare her for the first task; eating a raw animal heart and make sure she didn't throw it back up.

She almost threw up just by looking at it and smelling it, it smelled _that_ bad. And it was worse when she took a bite out of it, the metallic taste of it made it hard for her to swallow it and actually be able to keep it down.

Blood rushed down Anya's face and chin, dropping onto her clothes and to the grass beneath her. The dark red liquid filled her lips, staining her teeth into a dark red and black mess as she devoured the still warm heart. The rusty taste of blood filled her mouth and left a bitter taste in her mouth but if eating a heart meant she could live safely with Shylton's people, then she'd do it.

She almost threw up multiple times from how disgusting the heart was, but she kept it down, proving herself to Shylton's people that she was a fighter and she belonged with them. If she was banished, she would've jumped off the nearest cliff – just so she wouldn't slowly die from starvation once more.

Once the heart was eaten, the crowd that had gathered around Anya cheered, leaving Anya to give them a light smile just to let them know that she was okay when in reality she was far from okay. All she wanted to do was throw the heart back up and then it would all be over.

With the dry blood still on Anya's hands, face and arms, she was moved into a tent for the bounding ceremony. It was decided that she would be bound to Shylton since it appeared that he was the only person she actually trusted with her life and didn't want to kill him.

The bounding was simple enough; she had to drink a white fluid, read out a passage from a book and wear matching silver rings to prove to the village that they were bound for life and they couldn't break the bound until one of them died. But Anya didn't mind that, she rather embraced that and was thankful that she had someone who would always be there for her.

After the bounding was over, she was finally allowed to have a bath and wash off all the blood that was on her and have her blisters and cuts treated and be ready for the final part of the ritual that would happen the next day, just to make sure that she would be properly prepared for it.

 **~#~**

Once the new day arrived, Anya sat and waited inside a tent for the final part of the ritual to happen while a small group of women came inside the tent, carrying many baskets with them. The first thing they did was ask Anya to remove all her clothes – something that Anya wasn't fully comfortable doing but did it eventually – so they could help her into a tight fitted and brightly coloured dress, with a brown belt tied securely around her waist. Her feet slid into wooden sandals, and were tied with bead covered leather straps to keep them on.

Once her clothing was done, the women moved onto her hair; cutting it properly so it looked even before combing through it to remove the tangles from it and making it appear more normal. As her hair was being done, one of the women started painting red, gold and black strips across her face, stretching from one side of her face to the other, going from just under her eyebrows to under her eyes, placing more red paint on her lips as well.

After hair and make-up was done, a feather headdress was placed on her head. It mostly had black feathers but also had some golden and brown feathers inside it.

After almost an hour of preparation, Anya was finally ready to be presented to the village as a woman and be accepted into their society. The women first walked out to formally start the ceremony and to give Anya time to see herself in the mirror before the moment of truth came around; where the elders would decide if she was accepted into the village or if she was going to be banished and never allowed to return.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Anya could hardly recognize herself. The figure staring back at her wasn't the child who had murdered the commander, but a woman who was a warrior in her own right. She had the urge to just touch her face, just to make sure it was her, but she had to force that back so her make-up wouldn't be smudged. She needed to be perfect in order to pass and to finally be a part of the society that Shylton called home.

Her heart skipped a beat once she heard her name being called, taking a deep breath, she brought herself away from the mirror and prepared herself to face the elders. Anya walked out of the tent, being careful to not move her headdress or mess up any part of her clothing. This was the moment of truth, the moment that would decide if she was to be part of the village or if she failed and was to be thrown out and never allowed to return.

One of the elders walked up to Anya and inspected her closely, she looked into Anya's eyes for a moment before walking in circles around Anya, making sure everything was up to their usual standards of passing. After a few moments, she finally spoke. "Yu laik nau won gon osir." **(You are now one of us)** She announced before walking away.

Then Anya turned to face Shylton before running over to him with her arms out stretched. "I passed! I can't believe it!" She practically screamed into his ear as she hugged him tightly.

Shylton laughed loudly, holding onto her tightly. "I knew you would! I never doubted you for a second, you passed easily. But now that you're officially a woman, I have a present for you to celebrate your achievement."

The pair walked together back towards Shylton's home, Shylton leading Anya to a table before disappearing into another room for a few moments before returning and Shanding Anya a sword wrapped in a black blanket, removing the blanket, Anya's heart skipped a beat. The sword had roses engraved upon it with the words "Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim" **(Get knocked down, get back up)** placed in the middle of the blade. She ran her fingers along the engraved words and roses, a small smile coming onto her lips. "It's _my_ sword, thank you," was all she could manage to say as she stared at her sword in awe.

A wide smile came onto Shylton's face as he watched Anya, sitting down at the table beside her. "I'm glad you like it, I'll teach you sometime if you'd like."

Anya moved her gaze from her sword up to Shylton, the smile still plastered onto her face. "I'd like that."

 **~#~**

Several weeks after being formally allowed to stay, Anya was adjusting to life in Archenland. She was gaining weight and learning how to use a sword and fight, both were good news for her health both mental and physical. She knew that later that day, there would be a tournament where anyone could test their skills and if they're good enough, they would be allowed to train with the army – something that Anya was keen to get into.

She changed out of her sleeping clothes and into a plain shirt with dark trousers along with a leather jacket and leather boots, then her sword over her shoulder. She left Shylton's house and walked towards the training grounds, following the sounds of a crowd of people cheering and clapping – that was where the tournament was being held. Anya arrived just as a fight was finishing, both participants were coated with bruises, blood and dirt but that didn't put her off, it just made her more egger to fight.

"Anyone else want to test their skills?" Pygott asked, looking around the large group that surrounded the training area for anyone willing to potentially die for a place in the army and be trained to fight for their country.

Anya took a deep breath before speaking up. "I will," she pushed through the crowd to get into the middle of the training area, keeping a tight grip on her sword and ignored the glares she was getting from the people who surrounded her.

Once Anya stood in the middle of the circle, rain started to pour down from the dark skies, soaking everyone immediately but Anya didn't care, even when the rain started blurring her vision. She had something to prove and not even a little rain would get in the way of that.

Pygott was slightly taken aback by Anya's eagerness to fight but she quickly hid it by turning to one of the best warriors – Verney – and gave him a slight nod. "Anya, you will be against Verney, no weapons are allowed. You will use only your body to take down your opponent."

Anya faced Verney, throwing away her sword and removing her leather jacket. Verney stood at least half a foot taller than Anya, making her seem like a child compared to him. Normally, Anya would be running away screaming just at the size of Verney but she needed to prove to everyone that she was strong and she could survive anything that would be thrown at her. This was no time to be a scared child; this was the time to be a warrior.

She didn't even hear Pygott start the fight before she felt a fist dive into her stomach, knocking her to the ground. She let out a cry as she massaged her stomach before climbing to her feet to throw multiple punches to Verney's chest, doing little to no damage to him before he picked her up as if she was a pile of sticks and threw her down onto the muddy ground and kicked her several times. "Have you lost your fight, huh?" She heard Verney's voice sneer at her, a few chuckles coming from the crowd.

Anya forced herself back onto her feet, spitting out a little blood as the rain poured down on her face. "No, I just found it." Was all she said before she charged at Verney once more, climbing onto his body as if he was a climbing wall and bit down hard on his ear, a loud cry coming from Verney before he ripped her off him, Anya's body flying through the air and landing on the cold ground harder than she had done before. By this point, Anya knew she was seriously injured but she couldn't give up. She still had so much to prove to both herself and the village.

That was when Anya started coughing up blood and struggled to get back up onto her feet but somehow, she managed it. Once she was on her feet, she charged at Verney, throwing punches and kicks at him as hard as she could with all the energy she had left in her. Verney simply pushed her off him, but once Anya was on the ground, he kicked her and punched her harder than he did before. Pygott had to tell him to stop before he killed her and that was when Anya started losing grip on reality.

She was carried inside a tent to be taken care of by a doctor to make sure her injuries weren't too serious. In the end, Anya only came out with a few bruises along with a sprained wrist and ankle. Lucky compared to others who were faced against Verney.

Sitting down on a chair, Anya inspected her mud covered hands as she waited for someone to treat her wounds. That was when Pygott walked in, taking a seat beside Anya. "You fought like a child today, all aggression with no thought, no defence, no accuracy. Always leaving yourself exposed, revealing your next move before each strike."

Anya sighed, making small movements with her head to try to ease the pain. "Okay, I know, I got my arse kicked; that should make you happy."

"It does, because you did not give up and that is a rare thing to have, it must be guided. Do you know what a warrior's second is?"

Anya's eyes narrowed a little, her eyebrows fusing together. "An apprentice?"

"I can make you a great warrior, Anya of The Sky People if you are willing to do what it takes to become my second."

"What's in it for you?"

"First lesson; never question me."

Anya could hardly believe what she was hearing; Pygott wanted her in the army is one thing but to be trained by her? That was something special. After a few moments of thinking, Anya answered. "Alright, I'll do it."

A sly smile came onto Pygott's lips as she stood up once more. "Okay, Sky Girl. We start tomorrow. Get some rest; you're going to need it." She told Anya before leaving the room.

That was when a smile came onto Anya's lips, happy that she had proved herself to not only herself but to Pygott as well. The only thing she had to do now was wait for her father to bring her back to Aslan's Country and forgive her for what she did – however long that would take.

 **~#~**

After several months of continuous hard work and training, Anya was finally ready to go on the battlefield and fight for Archenland and Narnia against Calormen. Under the guidance of both Pygott and Shylton; Anya became a strong and highly skilled warrior who could kill in seconds and without a second thought, something that was highly valued in the army.

The war that was about to take place was Anya's first time on the battlefield and you'd be lying if you said that Anya wasn't excited. She looked like a child waking up on Christmas Day, not a warrior about to go into battle where the odds of her death were extremely high.

"This is no game, Sky Girl. This is war." Pygott hissed through her clenched teeth towards Anya, keeping a firm grip on her arm to stop Anya from jumping around.

Anya glared at her, shoving Pygott's hand away. "This is my form of a game, Grounder." She answered back sharply, taking a step away from Pygott.

The familiar sound of the battle horn alerted Anya to take her sword out of its holder and prepare herself for what was about to come – an entire army of Calormene soldiers who would be far more skilful and have more experience than Anya ever would. But that didn't put her off; it instead just added more fuel to the inferno that was already burning inside of her.

The sound of chainmail against swords became therapeutic to Anya as she sprinted across the battlefield and ready to sink her sword into the first Calormene soldier she saw. Blood splattered all over her but she didn't care, all she cared about was killing the soldiers quickly so she could easily kill more.

Anya was busy fighting soldiers all around her, she didn't look at Shylton until they had been defeated and she finally turned around to look at Shylton just so he could give her a reassuring nod, something that they often did during training. And that was when her world stopped spinning and everything seemed to spiral out of control.

A soldier stuck his sword straight into Shylton's chest, bringing Shylton to his knees. "SHYLTON!" Anya screamed, before running towards him, and swiftly beheading the soldier. She brought Shylton into her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks and onto his body. "You're gonna be okay. You'll be okay. We'll just get you to a doctor, and then you'll be okay."

Shylton choked on some of his own blood before he turned his head to the side to spit it out. "Anya, you know there's nothing you can do to stop this. There's so much I wish I could have taught you, my daughter. You have to keep going, promise me you will keep fighting until the end. Even in the darkest of times, you must keep going. Promise me that, Anya of the skies."

Anya nodded her head, tears continuing to fall down her cheeks as she held onto his body tighter. "Yu gonplei ste odon." **(Your fight is over)** Anya whispered into Shylton's ear before snapping his neck and feeling him go limp in her arms. She didn't want Shylton to suffer due to his injuries, so killing him right then and there was the kindest thing to do. It was a kinder way to go than to die slowly of his injuries – it was far less painful and much quicker.

She rested her forehead against his, keeping him close to her as her tears clouded up her vision. Even when she felt arms around her, Anya refused to let go of Shylton's body, screaming and fighting against the grip on her arms to get them off her. "Anya, there's nothing we can do now. He's gone. We have to get out of here, and that's an order." Pygott hissed into her ears, pulling Anya away from Shylton's body.

The walk off the battlefield was a blur, and Anya was lost in her own thoughts the whole time. She didn't even acknowledge the fact that she had been placed in Shylton's home so she'd be safe and everyone could continue the war without her. She was in a state of shock, and practically dead to the world, useless to anyone and everyone who came near her to talk. And there she stayed for two says straight; not talking or eating, just thinking about how the most important person in her life had been ripped away from her in a matter of seconds.

 **~#~**

It was a few days after the war was over when Shylton was going to be burned, the Archenlandian way of a funeral. A part of her didn't want to go, but she had to, she needed to say goodbye to Shylton properly even though she was never going to properly let him go.

Dressed in a simple black dress, Anya walked with Pygott to the funeral which was held near the outskirts of the village, so the smell of burning bodies wouldn't disrupt anyone. The tears were dry on her cheeks as she stuck to Pygott's side, still not saying a word to anyone, instead simply nodding or shaking her head.

When the actual funeral had started, Anya kept her eyes on Shylton's body and zoned out completely and Pygott had to nudge her arm to tell her that it was time to burn his body. After everything that had happened, it was decided that Anya would be the one to set his body on fire and to allow her to give a proper goodbye to the man who had changed and saved her life in more ways than one.

With a shaky breath, Anya held onto a large branch that was on fire and was going to be used to burn the body. "Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim, ai nontu." **(May we meet again, my father)** Was all Anya said before she lit the grave on fire and watched Shylton's body burn. She watched his body burn for a few minutes before she quietly excused herself and ran off into her tent – the tears stinging her eyes as she hid her face in her hands.

Although Shylton had died, Anya refused to allow the bond to be broken, it was the last thing that she had with Shylton and she'd never let that go for as long as she lived.

After Shylton's death and a brief stage of depression, Pygott took care of Anya and mentored her until her death and Anya was fully capable to survive without a mentor. Despite being from Aslan's Country, Anya quickly became a favourite between all who lived in Archenland, giving hope to all she came into contact with. She never married or fell in love, instead distracting herself with exploring the world she now called home and helping people with the army.

She never returned to Narnia, despite being requested to visit on numerous occasions; it reminded her to much of her father and her past. Instead, she spent her time fighting in numerous battles between Calormen and Archenland – making sure that her home never fell into the hands of the Calormenes.

When the Telmarines invaded Narnia, Anya allowed many Narnians into her country to live away from the Telmarines. Although, when the Telmarines tried to invade Archenland, they were met with an army far stronger than their own which was led by Anya, proving that Archenland would not fall into Telmarine hands like Narnia did.

Anya was never fully accepted into Archenlandian society until she saved and protected their newest commander on the battlefield, for which she became a hero and solidified her status as a force to be reckoned with and became the new commander several years later. And the rest, as they say, is history.

* * *

 **Second Author's Note:** And over 8,000 words and twenty-one pages later, the prequel to Their Last Hope is finally done! Hope you all enjoyed it, I certainly enjoyed writing it and I'll see you all in another story.

Until then,

Lorna – SuspianFeels.


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